8 Million Americans Sign Up for Private Health Insurance Plans Through the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the announcement that 8 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance plans through the federal and state-based marketplaces created through the Affordable Care Act:

“Today’s announcement that 8 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance plans through the federal and state health insurance marketplaces makes it very clear: the Affordable Care Act is working, and no number of wasted votes to repeal or undermine it will change that. As many as 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, including 17 million children, are no longer at risk of being denied coverage because of their health status, and 105 million Americans are now freed from the burden of lifetime or annual coverage limits. We now have additional data showing the law has slowed the growth of health care spending even more than expected, and the Congressional Budget Office reports that it will reduce the federal deficit more than originally projected. Moreover, 3 million more young Americans under age twenty-six are covered through their parents’ plans, and another 3 million people were able to enroll in Medicaid and CHIP as a result of the reforms we enacted.

“But the number that ought to concern us is 5.7 million – the number of Americans who will be uninsured in 2016 because several states have chosen not to expand Medicaid. At the same time, House Republicans continue to make the full repeal of the Affordable Care Act – which would drop millions from their coverage and take away important patient protections – the centerpiece of their agenda. Democrats will continue to defend the successes brought about by this law and ensure it works for every American.”